<p>
The <a href="http://www.cyberthreatalliance.org/" target="_blank">Cyber Threat Alliance</a> is a group of leading
cybersecurity solution providers who have come together in the interest of their collective
customers to share threat intelligence.
</p>

<p>
<b>CryptoWall</b> is one of the most lucrative and broad-reaching ransomware campaigns being witnessed by
Internet users today. <b>Ransomware</b> is a type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files and subsequently
demands payment in return for the key that can decrypt said files. When ransomware is first installed on
a victim’s machine, it will target sensitive files on said machine. These files may contain various types of
information, such as important financial data, business records, databases, and personal files that may
hold sentimental value to the victim, such as photos and home movies.
</p>

<p>
Once these files are identified, the malware will encrypt them using a key known only by the attackers.
In order to acquire this key to decrypt these files, the victim must pay a ransom to the attackers, often in
the form of electronic currency, such as <b>bitcoin</b>. In the event a victim does not have backups of this data,
and chooses not to pay the ransom, the files are unlikely to be recovered. <b>Ransomware</b> has been known
to cause irreparable damage to both individual users and large corporations alike.
</p>

<p>
<b>CryptoWall</b> is one of many prominent ransomware malware families, which include <b>TorrentLocker</b>,
<b>TeslaCrypt</b>, and <b>CTB-Locker</b>, among others. The security community first discovered <b>CryptoWall</b> in June
2014. Since then, a number of variations of <b>CryptoWall</b> have surfaced. The third variant (version 3) began
infecting machines in January 2015. The <a href="http://www.cyberthreatalliance.org/" target="_blank">Cyber Threat Alliance</a>
chose to focus their efforts on <b>CryptoWall</b>,
given the prevalence of the threat, introduction of the new version, and potential impact to individuals
and organizations around the world. Through this research and sharing of intelligence, members
of the CTA enhanced their protections for CryptoWall v3 within their individual product offerings, helping
to ensure the safety of all users.
</p>
For more information, download the <a href="http://cyberthreatalliance.org/cryptowall-report.pdf" target="_blank">Cryptowall Report</a>.
